"The Taconic program is designed to be an "outside-in" program where college students and incarcerated women take an introductory, college course together.  The course isn't designed to focus on prison itself (though there were certainly one or two classes where we discussed the prison system), but rather the social issues that surround incarceration (race, gender, class, public policy, etc.).  Also, it allows college students to better understand the realities of the current prison system and humanize the women who become entangled with the social problems that we so often theorize about in classes.  For me, it was an amazing experience where all of my preconceptions about prison and incarcerated men and women were seriously challenged.  My fellow classmates provided me with a new perspective on incarceration and what I would like to do as a future player in the criminal justice system."  


-Amanda Giglio '11